Purple Shore Crabs Research Paper

Purple Shore Crabs, Hemigrapsus nudus, are small crabs that are similar in structure to true crabs. They have carapaces that are commonly found to be 4-5.6 cm. A distinguishing characteristic of the Purple Shore Crabs is their lack of setae. They are usually found to be dark purple, olive green or red with white or cream marks, on their carapace. Their legs match the color of their carapace but have white tipped claws.

Though Purple Shore Crabs are capable of living out of water for several hours, they require moisture to survive. These crabs respire with a gill system in which they take in oxygen-rich water orally, obtaining oxygen by diffusion then expelling the excess water and carbon dioxide through their gills. They are commonly found